Sunday, June 8th: Raspberries, Apriums, Snow Peas, Sheep Feta & More!

Apriums from Collins Family Orchards. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Wow! The summer crops keep rolling in early! These are apriums from Collins Family Orchards. They are a hybrid of apricots and plums, genetically 70% apricot and 30% plum. They favor apricots in appearance and flavor, though they are sturdier, making them good for hikes and lunch boxes, and they are the first large stone fruit of the season. Ripe and ready now!

Snow peas from Alvarez Organic Farms. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Just last week, we were celebrating the first sugar snap peas of the season from Alvarez Organic Farms. This week, we cheer for snow peas! I sautéed a bunch of these Friday night with some of their green garlic and green sweet onions, and served it alongside a nice grilled King salmon fillet from Wilson Fish. Now, that’s living!

Raspberries from Sidhu Farms. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And under the heading of, “could life get any better?” come the first raspberries of the year! Yes, Sidhu Farms wins the derby on them. And we checked… this is the earliest we’ve ever had raspberries at your Ballard Farmers Market!

Sheep feta from Glendale Shepherd. Photo courtesy Glendale Shepherd.

Glendale Shepherd has its first sheep’s milk feta of the season today at your Ballard Farmers Market. This is the feta they eat in Greece, where sheep reign and cows are less common. So enjoy a little old world flavor, not from the Greek Islands, but from Whidbey Island!

Cucumbers from Nash’s Organic Produce. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And how crazy is this? Nash’s Organic Produce has cucumbers today! Yes, you heard me right! And they also have strawberries, spinach and, wait for it, even a little basil!

Tieton cherries from Lyall Farms. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

These are Tieton cherries from Lyall Farms. A big, bold, full-flavored cherry, they are the cherry’s cherry. You want dark? You want to know you are actually eating a cherry? Heck, you want to keep your gout away?!? Eat a handful of these bad boys a day!

Dwarf sunflowers from Summer Run Farm. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Summer Run Farm, from just over in Carnation, is known for their huge heads of lettuce. But they are also known for these adorable dwarf sunflowers. Why not pick up a few for your planter box? Oh, and Growing Things Farm is offering your fourth garden start free when you buy three plants today. So stop procrastinating, and get planting!

Organic asparagus from Alm Hill Gardens. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Asparagus season is going to go away this year as quickly as it came on, what with our warmer and sunnier than normal weather. So don’t miss out on this wonderful organic asparagus from Alm Hill Gardens. Get it while you can!

Zucchini from Colinwood Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And how about this? Yes, this is zucchini! I took this photo last Sunday, in fact. Colinwood Farm manages to always be the first farm with summer squash every year. In fact, I had someone ask me recently, “Where’s that zucchini coming from in Patty’s Pan’s quesadillas?” Colinwood, that’s where!

Purple kohlrabi from One Leaf Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

How about some lovely, and colorful, purple kohlrabi from One Leaf Farm? Remember, you can eat the greens and the bulb on it. And One Leaf has doubled the number of varieties of heirloom lettuces they have on their tables this week!

Lettuce from Children’s Garden. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Short, and very sweet this week, given all the fruit and peas coming into season, we finish off this week’s epistle with a summer staple: lettuce. Our buddies at Children’s Garden have lots of it right now, as well as mint, cilantro, rosemary, parsley and many other fresh cut herbs. And don’t forget to grab one of their beautiful bouquets of flowers, too!

There is plenty more local deliciousness waiting for you today at your Ballard Farmers Market. Just check What’s Fresh Now! for a more complete accounting of what is in season right now.

Please remember bring your own bags every Sunday, as Seattle’s single-use plastic bag ban is now in effect. Also, please take note of our new green composting and blue recycling waste receptacles throughout your Ballard Farmers Market, and please make an effort to use them correctly. Each container has what’s okay to put in it pictured right on the lid. Please do not put the wrong materials in, because that drives up the cost of recycling and composting, and it can result in the entire container being sent instead to a landfill. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated.

Tags: apriums, asparagus, Ballard, Ballard Farmers Market, bread, cheese, cherries, cucumbers, farmers market, flowers, food, King County, kohlrabi, lettuce, raspberries, Seattle, snow peas, summer squash, Sunday, zucchini